pcsgraphicYou just found out the location of your next duty station and your first thought is, “we’re PCS’ing where?” You’re moving to the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. The job scene is scarce, entertainment doesn’t exist – what do you do?!

Most likely this will happen to you at some point and there isn’t much we can do to change it, but what we can do is make the most of it. Below are a few tips to help!

1)  Take a Mini Tour Drive- You may not be in a desirable location, but look around to what is nearby or within a few hours driving distance and take advantage of those areas and take trips! You might be surprised what is within driving distance. You will have to a do a little research, but you will have some time on your hands so take advantage of it.

2)   Local restaurants – You will find some of the best food you have ever tried at local restaurants, just try them out and see for yourself! You will also be supporting a locally owned operation, which is wonderful.

3)   Do something to better yourself – Don’t let this time go to waste, especially if you’re not going to be as busy as what you are used to being. It’s the perfect time to go back to school or learn a new skill and there are so several options available online, so get to work on it!

4)   Do something you have always wanted to do – Figure out what this might be and just go for it because this will be the time to do it. Maybe you want to get in shape (you don’t need a gym, so no excuses on that part) or make more meals at home. More times than not, you can find instructions for what you need on the internet, so being in the middle of nowhere really won’t matter if you have a decent internet connection.

5)   Enjoy what you do have – If you are moving to an area where the pace of life is slower, enjoy it. Go out for a walk and take the dogs and kids with you. Go on a picnic somewhere every now and again. Take a breather for a while. These are things that many of us want to do but never end up actually doing. It doesn’t cost you anything but makes such a big difference in how you will feel.

6)   Get Social…Online – Search for Facebook pages to find groups in the area that might be of interest to you as well as spouse pages (I would recommend you search for these before your big move). Learn about the area and check the calendar of events of local happenings. I know this seems like common sense, but a lot of people don’t think to check directly with their post or town to see what local events are going on and miss out on a lot of great happenings.

7)   Try out the FRG – This will be a good way to meet other spouses and maybe even make a few friends. You don’t know how it will turn out until you try. If you try it and don’t like, then no harm done.

8)   Traditions & Rituals – Once you make a few new friends, start a ritual so that you get together ever week or two and have dinner or watch a movie. My husband and I had dinner every Friday night with a couple of our best friends when we were in the middle of nowhere and would always have pizza, margaritas, watch a movie, and relax in their hot tub (if you find a friend with a hot tub, it’s a plus!). It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but we always looked forward to it.

9)   Lose yourself in someone else’s problems -Pick up a book and get your eyes off the computer screen for while. If you can’t find the book that you’re looking for locally, order it online!

10)  Volunteer – There is always a need for volunteers regardless of location. Search for a cause that you care about and go out a make a difference! You don’t have to make it a full time thing, but just going out and volunteering a few hours a week will make such a big difference and what a wonderful feeling it is to give back. You can also add volunteer experience to your resume!

I hope that some of these tips might help you if you if ever get sent to a less than desirable post and I speak from experience with these. It really is what you make of it, so make it the best it can possibly be!

Angelique is a proud Army wife and happily married to her husband, Ray. After being PCS’ed from one side of the country to the other, Ft. Bragg, NC, is currently home. She has a degree in Counseling and a career background in Corporate Human Resources. She is an advocate for animal rights and enjoys supporting military and environmental causes. She is an accomplished flute player of 23 years and in her spare time she enjoys crafting, decorating, genealogy, traveling, watching horrible B rated movies, and is obsessed with anything pertaining to Disney. She and Ray are the proud pet parents of two dogs, Maddie and Ringo.

Comments

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments

Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

75 Comments on 10 Tips For Surviving At A Boring Duty Station

  1. You are so cool! I don’t think I’ve truly read a single thing
    like that before. So great to find someone with a few unique thoughts on this issue.
    Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is
    something that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!

    Here is my web site – hay day hack ipad

  2. Richard Pop Poplawski – Here we have a guy who gets into a heated argument with his mom over a dog urinating on a rug.
    Recreational and training balls fill are the least expensive.
    Though we might assume the snow would provide a cushion, skiing is just as hazardous as riding a bicycle in the street.

    my web page; Head Soccer Hack

  3. Make a wish list of cars that you are interested in. You have seen many cars in advertisements and on the road.
    It should be easy for you to build a solid list of vehicles that would suit your style.
    You can add a couple of dream cars that seem out of your range; however, be realistic about what you can afford.

    Never take a car at face value. Though you may not be a mechanic,
    it is a good idea to do a thorough inspection of the vehicle.

    An important part of the inspection is a test drive.
    This allows you to feel the car on the road, listen for
    any wayward noises and possible spot issues with
    performance.

  4. Great web site. A lot of helpful info here. I’m sending it
    to a few buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks
    for your effort!

    Look at my web-site clash of lords 2 hack no
    survey (Mabel)

  5. May I simply just say what a comfort to uncover someone
    who genuinely knows what they are talking about online. You definitely realize how to bring a problem
    to light and make it important. More people should read
    this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular given that you certainly possess the
    gift.

  6. Simply as I suspected I used to be ‘Below Average.’ That’s effective, I used
    to be expecting it. The issue I had with it was extra about my frustration with not with the ability to do greater than 7 burpees in 60 seconds (BTW, Sparkpeople, putting ‘Burpees’ in the workout database
    could be nice). I lastly signed up for facebook just a couple weeks in the past
    to assist out a pal who was having a web-based shifting sale.

  7. It’s perfect time to make some plans for the longer term and it is time to be happy.
    I’ve learn this submit and if I may just I want to suggest you some fascinating issues
    or suggestions. Perhaps you could write next articles regarding this article.

    I desire to read even more things about it!

  8. Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just
    wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your articles.
    Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with
    the same subjects? Thank you so much!

  9. Jedzmy zdrowe grzyby ale i grzyby jak boczniaki, reishi,
    pieczarki i inne grzyby. Warto zdrowo konsumować, poprostu to
    przyroda daje nam zdrowie i grzyby.

  10. Greetings I am so delighted I found your blog page, I really found you by
    mistake, while I was looking on Digg for something
    else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a remarkable post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design),
    I don’t have time to browse it all at the moment
    but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to
    read much more, Please do keep up the superb job.

  11. Actor and singer Patrick Bruel had been among France’s biggest stars over the
    ’90s, first making his / her name being a teen idol and
    leading a positive return to traditional French chanson inside the new millennium.
    Bruel was created Patrick Benguigui in Tlemcen, Algeria, on, may 14, 1959.
    Their father abandoned the family when Patrick was just a year
    old, in addition to 1962, after Algeria gained its
    independence, his new mother moved to France, eliminating from the Paris suburb of Argenteuil.
    A superb soccer player in his youth, Patrick first decided upon the idea of becoming a artist having seen Michel Sardou perform in 1975.

    As good luck would have it, acting would get him his first achievements;
    first-time home Alexandre Arcady ran an advert seeking a young
    man using a French-Algerian (or “pied-noir” in German slang)
    accent for his picture Le Coup dom Sirocco.
    Benguigui (as he was still called) responded and
    earned the business. The below year, he spent time in Ny, where he achieved Gérard Presgurvic, later to become his
    primary composer.

    Source: http://www.jaap-it.nl/?p=11

  12. Great post. As someone who went back to school in their mid-twenties my only advice to those thinking about it is to jump in and do it if it is something you want to do. You will thank yourself later when you are working a job you love and making better money to boot.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.